Heather Humphreys (Cavan-Monaghan, Fine Gael) | Oireachtas source

I welcome the Bill, the purpose of which is to provide for the establishment of newly configured education and training boards to replace vocational education committees. Prior to my election to the Dáil, I had the pleasure of serving as a member of Monaghan VEC and I can confirm that VECs have made a significant contribution to education at local level. The Bill will bring together a number of VECs, including the two county VECs in Cavan and Monaghan. I have no doubt that with the right leadership the joint VEC for Cavan and Monaghan will have the capacity to take on additional functionality and provide additional services to all schools in the remit of the education and training boards. It will continue to expand and support education in the region.

Support can be given in a wide range of areas, including synergies in ICT through amalgamation and shared services. HR support and industrial relations issues can also be supported by the new education and training boards. These are all specialised areas and most individual schools would prefer to be supported on a centralised basis. It will also create opportunities to achieve savings. We live in a more complex world and more and more we need a specialised and expertise-based approach, particularly in HR which we all know is highly specialised. I agreed with the Minister when he stated this type of support service should be expanded and offered to primary schools. Support could also be provided for the procurement of goods and services and building projects, which is another specialised area. It is difficult for school principals to balance their teaching duties with a building project.

Under the education and training boards, the amalgamated VECs will have great opportunities to provide support and services. The best example is in my constituency is the ongoing construction of the new education campus in Monaghan, which I know the Minister has visited. It comprises 16 classrooms for Gaelscoil Ultain, a post-primary school for Coláiste Oiriall, and the 700 student Monaghan Institute of Further Education and Training, MIFET. It also includes a theatre which received funding through co-operation between Monaghan Town Council, Monaghan County Council, the Department of Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht and the Department of Education and Skills. It is a good example of organisations coming together and achieving great things. The Garage Theatre in Monaghan is a pioneering project in that it will have a dual purpose. At night it will be a theatre and during the day it will be used by students studying drama and theatre in the institute of further education, thereby maximising use of the facility.

The new education campus is the largest school building project in the State this year and it is a tremendous asset to the town of Monaghan. It is being built on the site of the old Army barracks. I pay tribute to the CEO of Monaghan VEC, Martin O'Brien, and all the members of Monaghan VEC who have worked tirelessly to ensure the project is almost completed. It is a pilot project which was devolved to Monaghan VEC to develop the mechanisms and standards by which further projects could be devolved. The aim of the project was to afford the VEC the opportunity to demonstrate what it could do at local level. In this respect, Monaghan VEC has proven beyond any doubt that the system can be a success.

While change brings challenges, major opportunities exist for the new education and training boards. I welcome the fact that the Bill makes provision for representation from all parties in the entity, with staff, parent and community representatives as well as elected representatives. It is very important that all of these parties are represented. The future success of education will also be in patrons joining together to provide a broad and balanced curriculum, and education and training boards can also play an important role in facilitating school amalgamations. We have a perfect example of this in Clones, County Monaghan, which had a small VEC school and a small secondary school with the bishop as patron. The two patrons came together and the result is that we have an excellent school in Clones in Largy College. It is a model of good practice and an example of co-operation between church and State.

The new education and training boards will have an important role in education and they will be able to provide support in many aspects of the education system. They have broad range of skills which can be relied upon and used to the advantage of everyone. For the new education and training boards to be successful and effective, the Minister and departmental officials need to show leadership and be confident enough to assign meaningful functions and responsibilities to the new boards, and use their skills, experience, interest, commitment and enthusiasm to the maximum so that education can thrive. I commend the Minister on bringing forward the Bill and the large amount of work he and the Department have done to reform the education system.

See this speech in context